MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF KENNINGTON PARK ESTATE TENANTS’ & RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION HELD ON 30 APRIL 2019
Present: 10 tenants and leaseholders. Joan Twelves in the chair.
In attendance: Matt Hopkins, Property Manager, Hyde Southbank Homes, Erin McDermott and James Young, Berkeley Homes
- Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Hopkins, Cllr Normal, Cllr Holland
- Minutes of the last Meeting of the Tenants’ Association held on 27 February 2019
The minutes of the previous meeting of the Tenants’ Association held on 27 February 2019 were approved as a correct record of that meeting.
- Matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting
Matters arising from those minutes were covered by the agenda for this meeting including communal repairs, communal lighting, cleaning and grounds maintenance, installation of bike hangars, etc.
- Housing Management and Estate Management Issues
Matt Hopkins, the KPE Property Manager, reported on Estate cleaning and the problems encountered with the cleaning contractor, Cleanscapes. He reported that the cleaning in several blocks had not reached the required standard in Estate Inspections for four or five months in a row. Other Hyde estates were experiencing similar problems. The response to failed inspections from the cleaning contractor had not been satisfactory and decisive action was to be taken by Hyde managers. Estate Inspections with representatives from the Tenants’ Association had raised serious concerns in relation to the standard of stair and balcony cleaning, refuse bin enclosure cleaning, removal of bulk refuse from inside blocks, etc.
Matt confirmed that the electrical contractor working in Key and Sherwin, Purdy, had been requested to ensure the dust and other detritus resulting from the work was cleared at the end of the day. He was pleased to confirm that bike hangars had been installed in Lockwood, Blythe and Lohmann Houses. Application for a space in a bike hangar to be made through Hyde Customer Services. He also reported on the installation of new notice boards across the Estate. The notice boards were to be used to improve/increase communication including notification of dates of Estate Inspections and of communal repairs reported and in progress.
Matt reported he had undertaken a training course on tree management and care. The dead trees near Blythe House had been reported for removal. In response to questions, Matt confirmed that the pest control contractor attended on a regular basis to attend to bait boxes. A resident raised the problem of inappropriate storage and shabby appearance in individual patios creating an unpleasant environment for other residents. It was reported that action had been taken. It was an issue for tenancy management and home ownership management as the patios were not part of the communal area.
- Briefing from Berkeley Homes on development of the gas holder site and the Tesco site
Erin McDermott and James Young from Berkeley Homes gave a summary of the current position on the development of the two sites as follows:
- 3 acres (consisting of the gas holder site and the Tesco Kennington Lane site
- 1,300 new homes to be built on the site: 35% affordable (455, of which 70% social rent, 30% Intermediate)
- Up to 1,670 new jobs in over 100,000 square feet of employment space
- Buildings of 4 to 18 storeys. 170 parking spaces. New pedestrian and cycle routes. New public open space.
- Retention and refurbishment of the Grade II listed gas holder Number One
- New 15,000 square feet Tesco store securing 140 jobs
- A temporary Tesco store to be built in June/July with use of temporary store to start in July/August
- Demolition of current Tesco to begin in August. Construction of the new store and the associated office/residential building to be undertaken over the next two years.
- Decontamination/remediation of the big gas holder adjacent to Read House to start in September. Nature of the contaminants not yet clear but could be unpleasant for nearby residents (Read House, Kilner House, Sherwin House.
- Use of community space to be discussed with the community. A community liaison group to be established.
- Removal, refurbishment and replacement of the gas holder to take two years
Erin and James responded to questions in relation to the final total of social rent housing, 409 split between social rent and shared ownership. It was confirmed that the pedestrian route to the site via Read House was in the S106 agreement. Questions were asked about access to play space and leisure facilities. Noise, dust and vibration monitoring was to be undertaken throughout the construction as required by planning conditions. The Traffic Management Plan was referred to and residents expressed concern about the use of Vauxhall Street for construction vehicles to enter the site and Montford Place leaving the site. Montford Place into Kennington Lane was to be the pedestrian route to the temporary Tesco and was the heavy goods vehicle route to and from the NLE/FLO site. Management of the conflicts was a critical issue.
Erin and James were thanked for attending and for the information about development of the site.
- Report from Executive Committee
6.1 Review of Service Charges and recent s20 notice
As reported at the last meeting, TA Officers had scrutinised service charge invoices relating to 2017/18 and had identified inconsistencies. Further information had been requested from Hyde but remained outstanding. The 2019/20 estimates had been issued demonstrating that minor reductions had been made due to ‘mistakes’ on the part of the calculation/allocation of charges by Hyde. However, the justification for some new charges and some increased charges was a matter of concern.
6.2 Replacement of electrical mains: Schedule for 2019
It was confirmed that the work at Key and Sherwin was 95% complete. Completion had been delayed as some residents had not provided access for the contractor, Purdy, for the necessary internal work.
The Electrical Contracts Manager had notified the TA that Blades and Hornby were next in the schedule for electrical mains replacement. An initial consultation meeting with residents of Blades and Hornby to be arranged prior to commencement of the S20 process.
- Report from Community Centre Board of Trustees
The Chair reported on progress in relation to increased use of the Centre for a variety of activities, involving a diverse range of users from children to older people. A Hyde family day was planned for the end of May at half term. Active Communities Network offered football at Henry Fawcett School after school hours. Other organisations supporting young people were in discussion about offering innovative services.
- Any other business None raised
9 Date of next meeting of Kennington Park Estate Tenants’ Association
1900, Tuesday 24 September (AGM) then 26 November 2019. (Meeting of Executive Committee to prepare for 24 September meeting, mid September 2019.)